Is anyone else just a wee bit tired of waiting for Java to fulfill its promise? It's been what, five years now since we were first told of a glittering utopia in which developers could write their software once, and anyone could run it on any computer he or she chose. The reality, of course, has been less appealing-- particularly for Mac users, who have suffered woefully slothlike Java performance for much of the language's history. Recent builds of Apple's Mac OS Runtime for Java have helped alleviate the speed problems, but developers haven't exactly been cranking out Java apps by the truckload. Blame who you like-- Microsoft's transparent attempts to corrupt Java's "run-anywhere" potential is our favorite scapegoat-- but Java's taking longer than expected to reach that ideal of platform-independent applications.

But if you've pretty much ignored Java's influence in the past, as a Mac user it may be time to start paying some serious attention. Following last month's announcement that Mac OS X will ship with Java 2 support out-of-the-box, Uncle Steve himself made a walk-on appearance at this week's JavaOne conference at the familiar Moscone Center in San Francisco. Steve joined Sun CEO (and professional Microsoft-basher) Scott McNealy on stage to reiterate Apple's commitment to the Java architecture, and to announce a new age of cooperation between Apple and Sun regarding Java development. "We're here to say that we'll deliver the best Java environment in the world," said Steve, referring to the fact that when Mac OS X ships, it'll be the only "high-volume personal computer operating system" to include Java 2 support-- and Java applications on the Mac will inherit the full benefits of Aqua's new lickable interface.

With Microsoft busy fighting its "divestiture," we're more positive than ever before about Java's potential to change the way people write and use software. Then again, in the past our confidence in Java's success was approximately the same as our level of confidence in Cop Rock staying on the air, so that's not necessarily saying much. Still, those of you who once regarded Java as no more viable than Microsoft's antitrust defense arguments may want to keep an eye on developments over the course of the next year. There's potential there, people. Maybe.